Mid-South Instructional Technology Conference
Teaching, Learning, & Technology
The Connected Classroom
April 7-9, 2002
Geographic Information Systems and the Global Positioning System: Involving Students in the Formation and Testing of Hypotheses
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By: Mark Abolins |
Abstract
This workshop will focus on instructional applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). These systems support tabular, graphical, and visual analysis of spatial data, providing students with diverse opportunities to exercise critical thinking skills. Through hands-on experience, workshop participants will learn to use GIS to involve students in the formation and testing of hypotheses in the natural and social sciences. Shareware will allow participants to implement GIS-based exercises on many of their own classroom PC’s.
Description
Participants will learn to use technology to instruct students in the scientific method at the upper division level. The workshop focuses on the development and testing of hypotheses through observation of natural and human features on the Earth's surface. These investigations follow a three-step approach involving (1) initial observations, (2) the formation of hypotheses to explain these observations, and (3) the testing of hypotheses with new observations. Students make initial observations by exploring aerial photographs, satellite images, and maps with the aid of imaging and geographic information system (GIS) software on a PC. Then, the students develop hypotheses to explain their observations. For example, students might suggest that a bright square on an aerial photograph is a cultivated field. After developing a hypothesis, the students test it with field observations. For example, the students could use the global positioning system (GPS) to guide them to the "bright square" and see if it is actually a field. After making field observations, students can develop an improved hypothesis. This three-step process involves students in an investigation with both computer laboratory and field components.
The workshop will include hands-on experience with GIS and GPS, and will show how these tools have been used to involve students in scientific investigations at Middle Tennessee State University and elsewhere. The capabilities, cost, and ease of use of GIS and GPS systems will be discussed briefly. Sample exercises will be available for those with GIS and GPS capabilities. Prior experience with GIS or GPS is not required, but a moderate-to-high degree of computer literacy is essential.
Proceeding